Electronic equipment is often housed in a metal framework called an equipment rack. Usually, an equipment rack contains multiple bays. Each bay holds a unit of equipment, such as a server or a switch. Racks are generally available in standard sizes. Common sizes include 19″ racks and 23″ racks. These dimensions correspond to the width of the rack; the height and depth of the racks can vary. Typically, each equipment unit occupies one of the bays and is secured to the rack with screws. To install a unit of equipment in a four-post rack, for example, a side rail is secured to each side of the unit of equipment. This equipment assembly is then attached to the front and back vertical structural members of the rack, herein referred to as mounting rails.
Constructing and then installing the equipment assembly can be an onerous, time-consuming task. Because the depths of the racks can vary from customer to customer, an installer typically determines the length of each side rail at the time of installing the equipment unit into the cabinet rack. Accordingly, the installer measures the distance between the front mounting rail and the back mounting rail and then constructs two side rails. Each side rail is made of two separate rail portions. The installer overlaps these rail portions and joins them to produce a unitary side rail having the measured length.
The installer then attaches the two side rails to the sides of the equipment unit and proceeds to install the equipment assembly into the cabinet. At this point, the installer learns whether there has been any error in measuring the distance between the front and back mounting rails or in the constructing of the side rails. If so, the side rails need to be removed from the sides of the equipment unit and reconstructed to the appropriate length.
Provided the side rails are of the proper length, installing the equipment assembly often requires the assistance of a second installer, because one installer alone cannot easily hold and secure the equipment assembly to the cabinet rack. Often, one installer is needed to support the equipment assembly, while the other fastens the side rails to the rear mounting rails and then to the front mounting rails with screws.
Also, in almost fully populated cabinet racks, the flanges at the ends of the side rails can impede the installation of the equipment assembly. Designed to provide a planar surface by which the side rails can be secured to the mounting rails, the flanges project substantially perpendicularly from the plane of the side rails, thus, making the equipment assembly slightly wider than the horizontal spacing between the front mounting rails. Thus, to pass the equipment assembly between the front mounting rails, the installer needs to tilt or angle the equipment assembly. If equipment is already installed in the bays immediately above and below the bay into which the equipment unit is being installed, the installed equipment prevents the tilted equipment assembly from entering the empty bay. There is, therefore, a need for a system and method of installing units of equipment into cabinet racks that avoids the aforementioned problems.